Glyphosate, the chemical in Roundup, is the most popular herbicide in the world.

Although glyphosate makes life easier for farmers, it is also an antibiotic.

Glyphosate kills beneficial microbes in the gut, which may be having an impact on our gut and overall health.

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” —Upton Sinclair

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” —Upton Sinclair

It’s not easy being a farmer. You can’t predict the weather, you don’t know what price your crops will bring, and weeds are a nightmare. But in 1974, Monsanto introduced Roundup, and farmers were thrilled. It killed their weeds with a vengeance, down to the root. That saved them labor and allowed them to skip tilling their fields since they no longer needed to bury the weeds.

The Most Widely Used Herbicide in America

Roundup is the trade name of a chemical called glyphosate, which kills plants by inhibiting enzymes involved in something called the shikimate pathway. Because it only affected plants, not humans or other animals, glyphosate seemed wonderfully safe. Farmers rejoiced. Soon, glyphosate became the most widely used herbicide in America.

But there was a complication. Even at the beginning, researchers knew that there was another victim: Microbes also use the shikimate pathway. Since microbes were largely considered to be pathogenic in those days, it seemed like another big win.

Surprisingly, the microbial angle became essential to the future success of Roundup. In 1983, Monsanto scientists discovered a strain of bacteria that was thriving in the wastewater of a glyphosate........

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